Brass

[The Reloader]

Hey Guys. On Average How Many Uses do you get out of your 204 rounds.

[Rick in Oregon]

Dunno for sure; I've got 1,600 WW and Nosler (Norma) cases I rotate between 5 .20 cal rifles for squirrels and chucks. Some have been reloaded 5 times. I usually anneal after seven. Some of my 223 brass has been going strong this way since 1977, and gets shot every year. That stuff probably has at least 20 firings on it.

Oh, I neck size only......

[Bill K]

I have some 204 and 223 that has been reloaded 10-15 times, so far, and is still going. I also only neck size and trim to COL after about five firings. Bill K

[Neil S.]

To those of you who only neck size, I am curious, dont your brass become tight in the chamber? I find after three of four firings and neck sizing the bolt is uncomfortably hard to close and I must F/L size.

The Reloader- after 5 firings on my current batch of winchester brass I had a couple split necks so I annealed them. Now after 6 firings they are still looking good.

[Rick in Oregon]

To those of you who only neck size, I am curious, dont your brass become tight in the chamber? I find after three of four firings and neck sizing the bolt is uncomfortably hard to close and I must F/L size..

Neil: Yes, it becomes nice and snug, sort of custom-fit for that particular chamber. When more than a slight bit of bolt closing resistance is felt, I use my Body Die to bump the shoulder one or two 'thou without touching the neck. If dedicated brass is maintained properly, you'll seldom ever have to use the Body Die when neck sizing. To precisely control headspace and give the best snug fit possible, I use a Redding Competition Shell Holder Kit, which when used as directed, sets shoulder fit, or headspace in .002" increments to maintain peak accuracy in that rifle.

I rarely F/L resize any of my varmint/target cases.

[Neil S.]

Thanks for the info rick. I'm going to have to get one of those redding body dies and a bushing neck sizer. I have been using a lee collet die and I'm ready for an upgrade. Do you use the expander ball when neck sizing or just the bushings?

-Neil

[The Reloader]

Neil Do you mean 6 additional firings or 1 more on top of the original 5? And Also Does annealing produce any accuracy problems or any negatives at all? Thanx a bunch for your replies!

[Jim White]

I only full length size when I have too because I detest case triming although the Dillon makes it easy. For me I use a neck & full length (bushing) die.

[Neil S.]

Just one additional firing for a total of 6 so far. Proper annealing will not affect accuracy negitively, only extend the life of your brass. Improper annealing can cause inconsistant bullet release, and heat should be kept away from the base of the case as it needs to be hard down there to contain the pressure. Here is a good article on annealing:

http://www.6mmbr.com/annealing.html

I have tried a few methods of annealing. On this batch I held the case with my finger tips (so I could monitor the temperature at the base) and played the flame over the neck/shoulder area (while twisting the case for uniform heating) until a slight color change was detected, then dropped them in water. This was done outside at night so the color change could be easily detected. This works ok but is slow and requires some dexterity.

-Neil

[Rick in Oregon]

Do you use the expander ball when neck sizing or just the bushings? - Neil

Neil: Normally I do use the expander ball with my bushing dies. By doing so, all neck irrregularaties are then transferred to the outside of the neck upon the expander being withdrawn from the case. As I do a clean-up neck turn, this works out well, but if you do this, the bushing should be .002" over the usual size, not the usual .001" recommended.